NTV1: Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Course2017-2018

Admission requirements

None

Description

This course focuses on the most crucial aspect of the start of any new technology venture: the discovery and assessment of a suitable entrepreneurial opportunity. The emphasis is on start-ups which have their roots in university research.Through lectures, case study seminars, readings, and group assignments, students learn about various frameworks from economic theory, psychology, decision analysis and social science. These are applied to answer questions such as: what are the essential elements of an entrepreneurial opportunity? What factors will determine whether an opportunity is a good one? Why are some opportunities a good basis for a start-up company while others are not? How crucial is the role of patents, what can be patented and how? What may withhold a university researcher from starting his own company?
All these aspects come together in a practical group assignment: from the perspective of an investor, identify and rank opportunities in an emerging technology area created in research. In the final session students present their findings to a jury of professionals with experience in business and company creation.

This course is intended for anyone interested in working in industry as an entrepreneur, manager, consultant, analyst, or investor. Moreover, the course will provide an analytical background for scientists, engineers and medical doctors with an interest in understanding the industrial aspects of their academic work. The course emphasises small-scale, interactive teaching that focuses on real-life case studies.